2nd Feb 2010, 11:24
BigJoe in TN.
I have had four great Buick Park Avenues and currently am driving a 1998 model with 206,000 miles. It is still a great car. I can hardly wait to get a Lucerne Super. Buick is and always has been a great car.
11th Sep 2010, 22:56
My 1998 Park Ave is ready for its 3rd tune up at 315,000 miles. Today it rolled 312,000 miles. I have done nothing more than routine maintenance. With those miles, include a set of front lower control arms with bushings and ball joints and rear shocks/springs and a few miscellaneous trinkets here and there.
I will put this car up against any import car and as far as I am concerned for the long haul, this car beats them all hands down for cost of ownership. I still have the original engine and transmission at these miles.
Drive them easy, and keep all of the fluids serviced regularly. Great quiet ride, the doors still close with a nice dead thud and plenty of power and the best part... 30+ MPG on the highway with a nice big car ride.
12th Sep 2010, 17:20
The Park Avenues were truly a great car. I have a 2005 with 37,000 miles and I just love the classic "floaty" ride. It saddens me that Buick no longer makes a viable large sedan. The new Lucerne and LaCrosse are not even comparable. When I trade my car, I will probably buy an Enclave, but I will sure miss that classic big car ride!
15th Apr 2011, 20:17
Don't believe the hype that Japanese cars are so reliable. I have a 2001 Chevy Prizm. It has a Toyota engine, and only 58,000 miles on it. It burns oil like you can't believe, and apparently it's a notorious problem among these Toyota engines. Apparently all of the Toyota/ Prizm / Corolla engines built from 1998-2002 are notorious oil burners.
Don't believe the hype about Japanese cars.
1st Jul 2011, 00:28
Excuse me, but the Japanese do not make a better car then the American manufacturers. This is purely speculation and is 100% false. I have had imports, and they don't even compare to the American luxury cars of now. The Lucerne and 300 are amazing.
7th Apr 2021, 00:16
Very happy to hear that you have had pleasure with your Buick. The Northstar engine is very powerful and exquisitely refined; why automakers put such powerful motors in a FWD platform is beyond comprehension, but most probably has to be due to the economics of retooling production lines... Big, big $$$.
I'm not a Chrysler fan by any stretch, but the 300 is probably getting more press because they have refreshed those models and returned to the RWD platforms.
Hands down, like it or not Toyota is making extremely reliable transportation for mass consumption, and that reliability is translating to the Lexus brand also. Like Nissan has done with Infiniti and Honda with Acura.
The Germans and Italians are also making beautiful cars. Understandably when everyone is driving the same thing (Merc, Audi, BMW, Lexus etc...) it does get a boring.
A unique review, for a nice car, the platform is a bit dated if you have owned a Seville, or DHS you know what it's like, but the experience of ownership is personal to you, kudos. If you like American try a Lincoln, you might be surprised.
25th Nov 2009, 14:02
A few years ago we test drove new SUV's. The Toyota Highlander we drove for a scant 5 miles had engine problems, brake problems and pieces of interior trim falling off. We managed to limp back to the Toyota dealer's lot, where we kissed the ground and offered thanks for making it back alive.
We next tried out another new Asian SUV. It made it less than 1/2 mile before the engine seized. We then drove as fast as we could to a GM dealer and bought a reliable, solid GM SUV. After 80,000 miles it has never had one repair. Not even the brake pads have required replacement yet. I can see why GM isn't afraid to offer a 100,000 mile warranty. It will never cost them a cent.